


We Will Live Again In Freedom

by prettybirdy979



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - War, BAMF Newt Scamander, Exposure, F/M, Non-Linear Narrative, accidental leadership
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 12:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8890957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettybirdy979/pseuds/prettybirdy979
Summary: In a world where the battle in the subway ends differently, Grindelwald gets his war. But not a simple one, as there are five main factions fighting another for control of the magical and muggle worlds.
Newt Scamander, still recovering from the injuries that prevented him apprehending Grindelwald, finds himself the (nominal) leader of one such faction. And not just any faction - the one with a firm belief in equality for all beings, regardless of if they're magical, non-magical, or human.
The one that also happens to be the largest faction of the war.

  (Or ten scenes from a world where Newt is a reluctant if badass leader, Tina is his highly organised second, and the future is brighter when you believe every being deserves a fair go)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Because I'm not up to a full fic but I can do ten, non-linear, scenes from this AU. 
> 
> First published [here](http://fantasticbeasts-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/459.html?thread=227275#cmt227275) with the full prompt that explains a few things that didn't quite make it into the fic. 
> 
> Huge thanks to Zwaluw and Lourdesdeath for their motivation in writing this.

**********  
  
5.**   
  
‘What happened here?’   
  
It’s a rhetorical question, Tina’s sure, watching Newt run his hands along the burnt wreck that is all that’s left of the Woolworth building.  
  
All that’s left of the MACUSA.  
  
Newt turns, his tilted head asking for an answer. Oh. Not rhetorical. ‘Dragons,’ Newt raises an eyebrow and Tina feels compelled to add, ‘they’re claiming.’  
  
‘No dragon did this,’ Newt whispers. He bends down in front of a burnt corpse, taking its hand with trembling fingers. ‘A reservation of them couldn’t manage it.’   
  
Tina decides to ignore the tears falling on the body. ‘Grindelwald’s been making the most noise about this.’ She pauses, remembering a line from this morning’s briefing, then adds as carefully as she can ‘Dumbledore’s also been talking about it. Passing some… judgements, that offer support to Picquery…’   
  
She trails off when Newt rises, turning his back on the body.  
  
He stops before her and meets her eyes, his gaze full of fire made no less intense for the tears still sitting on his cheeks. ‘We’ll fix this.’  
  
His words echo, despite the openness of the ruins, sounding like setting stone.   
  
‘ _We’ll_ fix this.’  
  
 ***********  
  
1.**   
  
Newt’s still out - two days, it’s been _two_ days, will he ever wake? - when the young German war hero declares war on all magical peoples, and any who support them. The day after, Grindelwald wipes out Shaw Tower, the temporary base of Langdon Shaw’s forces.  
  
His father dies in the attack. Credence Barebone attends the funeral, standing at Langdon Shaw’s side.  
  
That same day the Second Salemers hang two sisters, leaving their bodies to rot in the street, for the crime of having magic.   
  
They were eight years old.  
  
 ************  
  
9.**  
  
Newt is with the orphans, a collection of beasts and children alike, when the news comes. Tina races to him with it, barely caring at how everyone stares as she runs through the base.  
  
‘Newt!’ she cries as she enters the heart of the building, ducking into the magically created forest without missing a step. ‘Newt!’ She runs into one of the fields where a small group of children are playing with one of the baby unicorns.  
  
‘Newt?’ Tina asks, out of breath.  
  
One of the muggle orphans, the little girl Newt pulled from the ruins of an orphanage two years ago, points towards the centre of the forest. A moment later her shadow, the magical boy she’d been found with, copies the movement.   
  
‘Thank you.’ Tina dashes off, and nearly runs into Newt a few seconds later.  
  
‘Tina? What is it?’  
  
‘We got confirmation, that Grindelwald and Dumbledore had really joined forces, in a raid to eliminate Hitler,’ she says in a rush, ignoring how Newt clenches. It might be old rumour made fact, but it’s not why she’s here. ‘Then Grindelwald turned on Dumbledore.’  
  
Newt just breathes for a long moment, his eyes on the artificial sky. ‘Where?’  
  
‘Nuremberg. It’s a full on battle, twice the size of the Burning.’ Tina searches his face, waiting for a reaction.  
  
Finally, he bites his lips. ‘What does Jacob suggest?’  
  
Tina smiles. ‘He’s already got a dozen volunteers looking for survivors in the outlying zones. Queenie’s got the London and Paris bases on high alert and Berlin’s already evacuated.’ He raises an eyebrow and she shifts as she adds, ‘We’ve also got our dragon riders on call, waiting for you to arrive.’  
  
Newt smiles now, putting his forehead to hers. ‘Let’s go to war then,’ he says in a quiet voice.  
  
Tina smiles.  
  
 ***********  
  
7.**  
  
‘Mr Scamander-’  
  
‘Newt,’ Newt says softly, but his voice rings out in the silent room. ‘We’re all equals here.’  
  
‘...Newt,’ the young witch repeats, wonder in her accented voice. Tina doesn’t recognise the accent, which means this must be one of their newer members. African witches and wizards have been arriving in floods to help.  
  
Their little base is now nearly as busy as the MACUSA once was. It’s a familiar, if heartbreaking, sensation that has Tina simultaneously want to dance with joy and scream with outraged grief.  
  
‘Newt,’ the witch says again, with a smile. ‘We’ve picked up rumours Grindelwald tried some sort of parley with Picquery’s forces.’  
  
‘Dumbledore’s forces,’ one of the British aurors spits out, a growl in his voice that’s echoed by a few other Brits in the room.   
  
Beside Newt, Tina holds up a hand to shut everyone up. ‘What happened?’ she asks, her eyes on Newt, who is fidgeting. He knows what happened, she realises, but doesn’t want to be the one to say it.  
  
Can’t say it, maybe.  
  
‘They… they fought. And… and London is burning,’ the witch says.  
  
Her words are sombering, taking all the anger out of the room in a second.  
  
‘Dear God,’ Jacob says, and all eyes turn to him. He might not be the only No-Maj in this building - hell, even this room - but he is the only No-Maj leader on their little council.  
  
If four people can be called a ‘council’.   
  
‘How… how many dead?’  
  
‘Too many,’ Newt says, biting his lips. ‘Put out a call; volunteers to look for survivors. See what we can do to help.’  
  
Tina can feel the incredulous stares, can hear the whispers and how everyone is shifting. But it is Gnarlak who shuffles his way forward and looks Newt in the eye.  
  
‘You really think rescuing a bunch of No-Maj who might be our enemies is a good use of our time? You might have the biggest army around but is this really worth stretching our forces for?’  
  
Newt looks him dead in the eyes, his voice a growl Tina’s never heard him manage. ‘If we don’t, we’re no better than the rest of them.’  
  
He stalks out, Jacob a step behind. Tina waits for a moment, then follows, the volunteers Newt asked for at her heels.  
  
 ***********  
  
4.**  
  
‘Why me?’  
  
Tina isn’t surprised that Newt knows she’s in his case, no matter that he’s not looking at her. He seems to have a sixth sense for when he’s not alone in here.   
  
She’s also not surprised he’s in here; he’s been awake less than a day and already everyone’s begging for his attention, clammering to know they’ve picked the right people to throw their lots in with.   
  
Considering they now have half of the No-Maj world leaders, nearly every No-Maj born witch or wizard leader in the wizarding world, and over half the half-blood ones hiding in their headquarters, Tina’s certain theirs is at least the biggest lot to throw in with.   
  
Even Newt’s brother is hiding out with them, though a part of Tina wonders if that’s why Newt is in his case instead of in the war room with Queenie and Jacob.  
  
‘Newt?’ she asks, walking up to him. He’s sitting under the bowtruckle tree, Pickett on his shoulder, while the other bowtruckles lean over, giving Tina sad looks when she meets their eyes.   
  
‘Why me?’ Newt repeats, not looking away from the game he’s playing with his niffler - a keep away game of some sort, though the pile of coins beside Newt suggests he’s not playing to win.   
  
Tina doesn’t do him the disservice of pretending not to know what he’s asking about. ‘Because you tried to save a scared young man, having never met him before. Because you treated Jacob like an equal, and didn’t talk down to Gnarlak, even after he betrayed you.’  
  
‘News travels fast,’ Newt echoes, letting the niffler take the coin in his fingers. ‘They’re going to be disappointed. I’m not much of a leader.’  
  
Shifting closer to him, Tina shrugs. ‘So don’t be.’ He turns to look at her with a raised eyebrow. ‘You got three people to follow you round New York chasing monsters-’  
  
‘Creatures.’  
  
‘-just by being yourself. And we’ve all made it this far; we’ll manage tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day.’  
  
Newt huffs. ‘Worrying means you suffer twice,’ he says and leans a bit of his weight against Tina.   
  
‘Exactly.’  
  
 ***********  
  
2.**   
  
A week into his coma, Queenie helps Tina move Newt to a new location; a squeakeasy that Gnarlak used to run but has been deserted for a year or so. Their apartment’s too crowded now; even with just the leaders of the peoples pledging allegiance to Newt’s ideals.  
  
Twenty people - sorry, _beings_ \- right now, representing over half the magical community of America and a third of the British one, with whispers that the new No-Maj president is trying to find a more moderate group to support.  
  
At this rate, Newt’s going to wake up leading a force that outnumbers even the most generous estimates of any of the leaders screaming for attention right now.  
  
If he wakes.   
  
***********  
  
6.**  
  
Queenie is the one to find them, picking her way through the rubble of the London orphanage with steps as sure as if she’d been walking across Newt’s case, avoiding the bodies that keep drawing Tina’s eyes. So many of them are children… so many.  
  
Bile sits in her throat, held back by a force of will. No, she can’t throw up. Not here. No matter that she feels like she’ll never be clean again, like this horror has sullied her just by viewing it.  
  
Eventually Queenie steps over a woman’s body - Tina only just hiding her flinch deep in her mind so her sister can’t feel her disgust at the necessary callousness - and points her wand at a block of wall. It is resting on what has to be the sturdiest desk Tina’s ever seen, and it takes a moment before Queenie’s spell levitates it away.  
  
‘Newt, I think this is for you,’ Queenie says, nodding at the small area under the desk. Tina can see the edge of a dress, that twitches as Queenie speaks.   
  
A _survivor_ , maybe even the magical child this well publicised attack was all about. Something warm, like hope, settles into Tina’s stomach.  
  
Newt nods, dropping to his knees instantly and crawling towards it. ‘It’s okay,’ he says in a soft voice. ‘We’re here to help. Promise we won’t hurt you.’  
  
A squeak comes from under the desk and Newt freezes, his chest heaving.  
  
‘I’ll stay here then. Promise.’ And stay he does, chatting on about various creatures - in the order they’re listed in his book, Tina realises with a surge of affection - while keeping an eye on the desk. Queenie catches Tina’s eye after a minute, tapping her head before heading off.   
  
Perimeter check. Good plan.   
  
Finally, after Newt’s halfway through describing dragons, a small girl pops her head out. She can’t be more than three years old, and she’s clutching a pile of blankets that has to be the baby this monstrous attack was after in the first place.  
  
Tina’s heart aches. Killing a child for the crime of having magic is one despicable act; destroying the orphanage he ended up in for the crime of harbouring his desperate mother in her last days is another thing entirely.   
  
A act of terror beyond description.  
  
Hitler has a lot to answer for.  
  
‘Hello there,’ Newt says, offering his hand to the girl. ‘I’m here to help.’  
  
The girl considers him for a long moment before shuffling into his side, looking for all the world like she’s clinging to him. While still holding the baby.  
  
Newt does cling to her, picking her up and meeting Tina’s eyes over her head.   
  
‘Find the men who did this,’ he says in a toneless voice, ‘take everyone we can spare.’  
  
‘Alive?’ Tina asks without thinking.   
  
Newt just stares, then tightens his grip and apparates away.  
  
 ***********  
  
8.**  
  
Jacob is the first one of them to be injured, beyond what a quick spell can heal.  
  
‘Better me than you,’ he says with a laugh, when Tina comes to visit. Her heart sinks at the matter of fact tone in his voice and she wishes Queenie was here - why did this have to happen when her sister was in China, helping to organise their ‘contacts’ there.  
  
‘Never,’ Newt says from the doorway, making Tina jump. He’s looking at Jacob, eyes light with the indignation in his voice.   
  
Jacob shrugs. ‘I am the muggle here.’ Tina makes a face at his use of the British slang and he laughs. ‘Sorry, No-Maj. There’s a dime a dozen of me; but there ain’t anyone like you Newt.’  
  
‘I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you,’ Newt says in the soft voice he has, the one you can’t help but hear. ‘You’re _critical_ to everything.’  
  
‘Besides,’ Tina adds, slipping into the seat by Jacob’s bed, ‘isn’t the whole point of this that everyone is equal? Equally important-’  
  
‘And equally unimportant,’ Newt finishes.  
  
Jacob laughs, holding up his hands. ‘Alright, alright! I know when I’m beaten!’  
  
And laughing, Tina realises that for the first time in years and just for this moment, it’s possible to believe there’s no war on. That they are just three friends, equals in all ways.  
  
She smiles. This is worth fighting for.  
  
 ***********  
  
3.**  
  
Newt wakes up three days after the attack that destroys the White House and his first action is to ask after his case. He refuses further treatment - at least until he’s seen everyone inside it is safe. Thus, his second action is to half-fall his way down his stairs, to sit in the middle of what can only be called a cuddle pile of creatures. He takes forever down there, checking over every. Single. One.  
  
His third action is to ask if Jacob, the only member of their foursome not present, is okay.   
  
Only then does he ask what happened to himself.  
  
Something like relief settles into Tina. She’d forgotten, after everything, exactly how selfless Newt is.   
  
She knows, deep in her bones, that she’s made the right choice.  
  
 ***********  
  
10.**  
  
‘We’re winning this.’  
  
Tina looks up at Newt, Theseus’ report forgotten. ‘Newt?’  
  
He turns from the map of the world he’s been looking at, fingers still tracing Scotland. ‘Hogwarts is Dumbeldore’s last stronghold. Hitler’s armies fell apart after Nuremberg, Credence could be negotiated with, so it’s just Grindelwald…’  
  
Rising, Tina tugs Newt’s fingers away from the map and pulls him around to face her. ‘We’ll win this,’ she says and lets him meet her eyes in his own time. ‘We’ll _fix_ this.’  
  
Newt smiles. ‘ _We’ll_ fix this,’ he says and this time it’s not settling in stone, but settled in steel.   
  
Tomorrow will come, and the world will be a better place for it.


End file.
